


The Nightmare's Compassion

by iwillgiveyounightmares (Aurora_Arcobaleno)



Series: Adventures from Elistra to Skyyger and Everything Inbetween [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Assassin - Freeform, BAMF, Dark Elf, Drow, Fantasy, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Supernatural - Freeform, Umbra is a softie, a bit inspired by skyrim, awesome demon horse, elistra, finished but related to short stories to come, he kills someone in a rather bloody manner, medieval setting, seriously he's a marshmellow, sort of, the Quiex Triad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-29
Updated: 2013-04-29
Packaged: 2017-12-09 22:28:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/778687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora_Arcobaleno/pseuds/iwillgiveyounightmares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Umbranox Sicarius, the Nightmare, is begged to help and save precious cargo. His weakness for children and a woman's tears easily convinces him. </p><p>Oneshot, standalone but will probably be related to short stories to come. Rated mature for a bit of explicit violence and gore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Nightmare's Compassion

**Author's Note:**

> Unlike my fanfiction efforts, I am happy to say that I own everything about this piece, including all the characters so far. Umbranox is an RP character that I love and haven't been able to play with much lately, so I got the urge to write at 3:30 in the morning, and this was born.  
> I hope you enjoy it, even if it short and kind of just the ramblings of a sleep deprived college student <3

All was silent in the dark night as those that dwelt within the day rested and gave the land over to their nocturnal counterparts. The moon was waning and so did not cast much light onto the world as the wind swept through the trees, sending their leaves to rustling. Among the branches of the great trees lining the well-worn path to Rorengade, there crouched a figure, clothed in armor that was dark as the night itself, leaving him nearly undetectable to any passing creature. The large male shifted, leaning his weight forward enough to send him down from his perch so he could land on the ground, soft as a whisper; not even a single forest creature startled at his movement as he slipped between the trees, following the path. They were comforted by his familiar presence, at home with his feral aura, and he hummed under his breath in approval. 

Sound crept into the night air, signaling Umbranox to retreat farther into the deep shadows cast by the trees on the path. Silently, he waited from his position, patiently watching the path for the source of the growing sounds. He did not have to wait long before a small caravan of sorts came clomping up the road, stirring the night with their noise and the light of their torches. A young nobleman rode in the lead with a guard at his side and three more at his back, a small wagon drawn by a single horse taking up a position in the middle. The young, slim man in the lead spoke briskly to the guard riding beside him, seeming to be deep in debate about the best kind of woman.

Umbranox snorted, drawing his bow. None of them really had a reason to worry about such things any longer—they were due to be silenced by his hand. It was true that Umbranox accepted only the contracts he found justifiable by his own code of honor, but this one in particular struck a chord in him that had the savage in him clawing for freedom. He would kill these men this night, and restore what they had nearly succeeded in destroying. 

With fierce, somber eyes, Umbranox notched an arrow of steel, Scorched wood, and raven feathers; with eyes sharp as an eagle’s and talented at seeing in the dark, he lined up a shot with the head guard, deeming him the highest priority. He barely had to take a second to line up a shot before firing, for his eyes were sharper and grip steadier than any human. With a satisfied growl, Umbranox let the string of Shadowhunt go, releasing the arrow with a twang.

The projectile flew true, striking the lead guard just below the helmet where his neck was exposed. The man made an aborted sound of surprise before clawing at his bleeding throat and falling off of his horse. The other members of the travel party shouted in alarm, but Umbranox had enough of an advantage to use his superior speed to pick off another guard before the survivors finally rallied enough to locate his position and attack. 

Before the mounted guards could crowd him against the trunks of the trees, he secured Shadowhunt to his back and drew Rebellium from the sheath at his side; the gleaming silver blade shined unnaturally in the night, drawing attention enough for Umbranox to slay the nearest guard with a leap and slash. He landed on the path, crouched with his blade in a defensive position close to his body. The remaining guard tried to rush him, but he elegantly danced out of the way and swung his sword in a graceful arc as the guard passed, decapitating him with ease.

“What do you think you are doing, drow?” The young nobleman demanded shakily from atop his nervous white stallion. The beast’s legs quivered as it all-but pranced in place, eyes wary and nostrils flaring. 

“Exacting justice,” Umbranox replied quietly, lilting voice icy in stoicism. He stood to his full height, sword brandished at his side menacingly as he advanced on the blond. 

“You cannot do any such thing! Do you know who I am?! I’ll-!”

“You’ll do nothing,” Umbranox hissed, springing with powerful legs, leaping the distance between the two and thrusting his blade through the indignant man’s face. The steel sliced through his skull like butter, neatly sliding into his brain and killing him without splitting his head. Umbranox’s momentum, however, took him to the ground on behind the horse, taking the man’s corpse with him as he slammed it into the ground. The strength of his blow split the rest of the man’s skull, spilling his brain matter into the grass and gushing blood.

Umbranox pulled his sword from the gore with a rumble of sadistic satisfaction, sheathing the weapon after muttering to it in appreciation. Completely ignoring the mess he made of the travelers, he turned to the driver on the wagon who sat frozen in fear of the assassin who just laid waste to five armed men in mere minutes. With a glare that could send the devil running, he pointed with a silver claw at the man, “Stay where you are.”

Letting the warning stay as that, he turned to circle around the wagon. He made quick work of the padlock, yanking the weak iron from the chains with little effort. Once the handles were free of the chains, he pulled the doors open, spilling dim light into the dark recesses of the cart. The moonlight barely illuminated the shivering cargo, but his eyes were made to see in the dark so he could easily make out the young girl cowering in the corner. The bound child reeked of fear as she starred wide-eyed at the drow male, whimpering behind the rags that covered her mouth and fidgeting nervously in the numerous ropes binding her little arms and legs.

The stoic male’s aqua eyes softened as he took in the little girl—she had to be seven at most. He’d been a bit stunned when a woman foreign to him had showed up at Eterna, throwing herself at his feet in her panic and begging him for his help. He’d been able to calm her enough to get the information from her: she and her sister were the only survivors of a coup on her family, and were on the run from the house that wished to finish the job. They’d been caught near Elistra and she was sure they’d be killed; however, the young noble in charge of her fate had taken her sister, demanding her submission. She’d escaped to find help. Without further explanation, Umbranox accepted and got the details he needed to track them.

Surely, he’d been planning to sell the beautiful little girl into slavery to make an example of her. No one hurt children like that if Umbranox had a say in it.

“Be calm, young one,” Umbranox spoke quietly, threading calm into his voice with magic, “Your sister sent me to help. I’ll take you to her.”

The girl didn’t really reply, but her eyes were not so wild and she did not flinch when Umbranox crouched in front of her and reached to cut her bindings with one of his black daggers. In seconds, she was rising shakily to her bare feet, hugging herself around the chest in wariness as she glanced uncertainly up at the drow that freed her.

Umbranox slid out of the wagon before wordlessly reaching for her again, waiting patiently as she timidly stepped forward one hesitant step at a time before haltingly putting her thin arms around the drow’s neck as he picked her up and set her against his hip. He was careful to avoid leaning her too heavily on any of the uncomfortable parts of his armor or weapons, grateful when she didn’t tense or struggle. She laid her tired head against his shoulder, apparently deeming him trustworthy enough and he tightened his hold a bit as he made his way back to the front of the wagon, absentmindedly worrying a bit about how light she was.

When he reached the driver’s perch, he found the man right where he was before, unsurprisingly. No one disregarded a direct order from Umbranox if they valued their life. In any case, he set his glare back to full menace as he caught the man’s eyes, “You will go back to Rorengade and you will tell whatever family you’re working for that this girl and her sister are under the protection of the Nightmare. I will take any other attempts at harming them as personal offense.”

Unafraid that his order would be unheeded, Umbranox turned away and stole back into the forest, welcomed by the shadows and their security. He knew she was awake, but the girl did not stir as they made their way in the darkness. When he was far enough from the road to satisfy his cautious nature, he whistled lowly, sending magic into the sound so it would travel to the ears he desired. Umbranox stilled, waiting without worry for his reliable companion to appear from the brush. The male thinly veiled his amusement when the blonde head lifted from his shoulder slightly to pear about in confusion. 

She jumped, though, when a graceful black form burst from the clustered trees, approaching at a light canter. Umbranox’s faithful mount was a beautiful black hellsteed, dark as midnight with a mane of billowing, smoky shadows, and eyes red as hot coals. Embers shot from his nostrils in a small display of sparks as he greeted his rider with a snort, eyeing the charge at the dark elf’s hip.

“Dusk,” Umbranox greeted, stroking the giant creature with his free hand, “Youngling, this is Dusk.”

Hesitant, but obviously possessed by the curiosity all children have, she let Umbranox guide her small hand to the otherworldly horse’s nose. When the drow released her hand, she paused, but then skittered her small fingers upward in a gentle caress. The large mount rumbled a contented noise and nudged her face with his, earning a quiet giggle.

Satisfied that his two companions were now well-acquainted, Umbranox slowly shifted the young girl from his lap and up into Dusk’s large, black leather saddle. Before he could swing up behind her, she turned soulful brown eyes on him, too old for her young face, “Who are you?”

Keeping her gaze with his own solemn one, he inclined his head to her in the same fashion he would to an adult, “Umbranox Sicarius. Your elder sister asked me to find you.”

Like a switch, the innocence in her face came back as she bashfully dropped her gaze to her hands, which petted the black hair on the demon horse in reverent strokes, “I cause her a lot of trouble, I think. My name’s Serenia, by the way.”

Umbranox didn’t comment on her mumbled regret, but hummed in acknowledgement and he placed a booted foot in a stirrup and swung himself onto Dusk’s back behind Serenia’s small frame, “Pleased to meet you.”

Elistra was not far from their location, so it would only take a couple of hours, but Umbranox was eager to return the child to her sister, so he did not stop at an inn to wait for morning. It was just as well, for Dusk preferred the cover of darkness, and the spring in his step as he walked the path was obvious to his owner.

The trip was not uncomfortable or silent, as Serenia seemed unable to keep quiet; the drow at her back could tell that she had a soft-spoken nature, but she also seemed to like conversation. She’d also had an incredibly taxing few weeks to his understanding, so the combination led to the young girl chatting to her dark, attentive savior. Umbranox was not bothered by her chatter, and silently listened to every detail as she recounted experiences of her girlhood or pointed our random things along the road as they traveled. Obviously, though, Serenia was aware enough of her behavior to believe her companion might find her talk annoying, and so the girl’s words often trailed off in the beginning, but Umbranox would get her started again with a couple words of interjection or a question. Eventually, she just kept talking, disregarding the dark elf’s silence as contented attention.

Umbranox was slightly surprised as they approached Elistra’s main gate that not once did the young blond sleep through their trip, though the past hour was silent as she slumped exhaustedly against his chest. He attributed her restlessness to being away from her only living family, and nudged Dusk faster with his heels. 

The guards did not even make the drow pause, opening the gate long before Dusk drew on them. At the stables just inside of the city, Umbranox gently jostled his riding companion enough to stabilize her so he could swing out of the saddle and onto the ground. He led Dusk and his tiny charge closer to the mount housing, hailing the stable’s owner. The light of dawn was barely peeking over the mountains to the east, and it showed in the relative quiet of the city, but the yawning stable master was not surprised by Umbranox’s approach, wordlessly throwing a short, but respectful bow at the dark elf and leading Dusk away after the drow took Serenia from the saddle.

At her wiggling insistence, the blond girl was set on the ground so that she could walk by his side. Her tiny hand was carefully held in his clawed grip as he led her to the large castle that he and his male companions dwelt. He ushered her up the steps to the manse and into a smaller, less ornate door to the side of the large double doors at its front. Waiting in the foyer of the building was a steward, employed by him and the other members of the Triad. 

“Good morning, my lord,” he said, stepping forward, aiming a friendly smile at the shy young girl clinging to the dark elf’s leg, “And a good morning to you too, little lady. Your sister will be quite relieved to see you unharmed, if you’ll follow me?”

The young-looking, friendly man did not seem hostile, but Serenia glanced up at her silent hero anyway, to find him looking back with a soft, but solemn gaze. He nodded a little, nudging her gently toward the other man before turning to the steward himself, “They are to stay here for now. I will speak with them later today.”

The steward nodded, softly placing a clawed hand against the girls back to lead her in the opposite direction. Umbranox watched for a moment, but then turned to head to his quarters to rest. He was stopped by a small voice, “Lord Umbranox?”

The drow stopped and turned to Serenia, her brown eyes looking up at him tiredly. With only a second of hesitation, she turned back around and closed the distance between them with quick, little steps. Umbranox was a little surprised when she wound her little arms around his waist and pressed her face against his armored stomach, but he placed his hands on her shoulder and head anyway.

Her gaze as she looked up at him again was childish and old at the same time, and she let go of him to take one of his clawed hands in one of hers and pat it, “Thank you.”

Without really weighing his intense gaze, she glided back over to the steward, who smiled knowingly at Umbranox before leading her out. The drow just stared at where she’d gone from the room for a moment before bringing his hand to his face to stare at it. 

Skin dark as the shadows he called home. Long silver claws sharp as blades. Scars and calluses from battle and killing. Not something a child should even deem safe enough to touch.

With a quiet snort, he dropped his hand and continued his trek to his room, completely unaware of the small, warm smile on his dark lips.

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it. Isn't he squishy as hell? Also, Umbranox is supposed to be the strong, silent type. I'm having trouble committing to the 'little talking as possible thing'.
> 
> Any who, stay tuned, because there is probably more to come!


End file.
